WIFI over POE? Help! Moved to new house w vaulted ceilings, ditch LaView POE cams for LaView WIFI (gasp)? Opinions?

[Justins311]

Hi,

First off I'm not a noob but I also am not super interested in security cameras, so I'd really love some hand holding . I'd love to hire a pro but I don't have that kind of budget. I am about to switch from POE cameras to WIFI cameras unless somebody can talk me out of it or offer any suggestions?

I researched on this board a year ago and based off recommendations here upgraded my crap 5 year old Lorex to the wired LaView 8 channel NVR with POE turret upgrade (4k 8.3mp), standard bullet (4mp) and Swann dome cameras as my budget would allow. I only got half of them installed before I was forced to move, but the ones I got installed worked well. Still have 4 NIB.

Now I am in a new house and all the ceilings are vaulted. I have little to no access to run any wires inside of the home/attic. After trying to run some CAT5 I gave up in frustration and ordered the below kit off Amazon. It hasn't arrived and now I'm having regrets.

I see most of the consensus on here is STAY AWAY FROM WIFI. I understand why to the pros, but for a novice who really values installation costs and time, is it REALLY that bad? Will I notice a huge difference? The reason I never even installed the other 4 cams was what a PITA it was to wire everything. Is it mostly just concern of getting hacked, or are the WIFI cams really that bad? What about a mix of wired and wireless - is that possible? Can I convert my POE cams to wireless with an adapter?

Any suggestions are appreciated!

old wired: LaView 4MP 2688 x 1520P Full PoE IP Camera Security System, 8 Channel H.265 NVR w/ 4K Output, 4 x 4MP Full HD (2688 x 1520) In / Outdoor IP Cameras (No HDD Included, Sold Separately) - Newegg.com

New wifi:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07G1QF1YT/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

"
LaView Wireless Wi-Fi 8CH HD 1080P Security CCTV Surveillance System – Six 2MP Wireless Wi-Fi Indoor Outdoor IP Cameras

 

[looney2ns]

Wifi will NOT be reliable. It will cause problems with your other wifi devices.
With a little studying, and help from here. There is almost always a way to run cable.
Take some pictures of the soffit areas of your house and post them here.
And of the garage if you have one attached.

 

[ljw2k]

Homeplugs could be a better option if no way to run cable but above ALWAYS a way to run a cable.

 

[samplenhold]

I have a few LaView WIFI cams indoors, not the ones you are getting, but still LaView, that I bought directly from them. I bought these BEFORE I found IPCAMTALK. I still use a few indoors where running Cat5e would be a piti vs just plugging in to 110ac. But I do NOT rely on them for security. Mostly used for dog monitoring when I am not home.

Pros:
1. Did not have to run Cat5e.
2. Simple placement.
3. Real cheap.
4. When they work, fairly decent daylight 1080p image and ok IR image (indoors and up close).

Cons:
1. Still had to run the power cable to an outlet.
2. Grandkids love to move them.
3. Go off line several times a day. Therefore, they have a high chance of being offline just when you need them.

I have a WIFI repeater less than 10' from one of the cams with no walls in between. It still goes offline several times a day. A couple in the garage (that I am replacing with hard-wired Dahuas) are offline more than they are online. Another one that is just downstairs from the WIFI access point (floor in between), restarts several times a day, sometimes four or five times in ten minutes, and then will stay online for a few days.

I gave up contacting LaView support. Mostly never got an answer, but when I did, they either did not understand what I asked, or I got a canned response that had nothing to do with my question.

Some folks have gotten good results with a Powerline Ethernet Connection, like this one:

https://www.amazon.com/NETGEAR-PowerLINE-1000-802-11ac-Gigabit/dp/B00S6DBGJM?th=1

That is just an example. There are other brands that are cheaper. Do a search here for threads on them.

 

[TonyR]

Some folks have gotten good results with a Powerline Ethernet Connection, like this one:

https://www.amazon.com/NETGEAR-PowerLINE-1000-802-11ac-Gigabit/dp/B00S6DBGJM?th=1

That is just an example. There are other brands that are cheaper. Do a search here for threads on them.

I concur, they do have their place. FWIW, I had over 2 years of flawless connectivity from these $50 a pair TP-LINK AV1000 gigabit powerline adapters until lightning took one out; it's exact replacement's been running since March 2019 without a single hiccup.

 

[Justins311]

Thanks all. I decided to stick with wired, called a few pro's to get quotes on running cat5. Appreciate the responses and you have the same conclusion I did!